


In Absence of Earl Grey

by PetrichorIllusions



Category: Kaleidotrope (Podcast)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Other, Pre-Relationship, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 10:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15555756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetrichorIllusions/pseuds/PetrichorIllusions
Summary: Drew has a cold and has run out of tea, and Harrison is a good friend and co-host. And he definitelydoesn'tflirt with him whilst he's too out of it to respond.





	In Absence of Earl Grey

**Author's Note:**

> Hi this is the first fic I've finished in three years it is not All I Wanted It To Be BUT it exists I hope you enjoy.

Harrison is ready to go by the time Drew even gets to the station, which has never happened before. He looks pale, and his nose is reddened. He shoves a tissue back into his pocket as he nods to Hal.

“Everything alright?” Harrison asks.  
“Fine. Sorry I’m late.”  
“We’ve still got a few minutes, you’re all good.”

Drew drops into his chair, coughing a little. He slumps down for a moment, then takes a deep breath and sits back up.

“Right,” he says, and clears his throat. “Let’s do this.”

 

Ten minutes and six throat clearings later, Harrison throws him a look.

 

“— you look like you need a cup of tea.”  
“Well that would be lovely, Harrison. There’s only one problem with that, and that’s that it is goddamn _impossible_ to get anything that could reasonable be called a good cup of tea in this godforsaken country.”  
There’s a pause.  
“Wow.”  
“Sorry.”  
“No, it’s okay, you obviously have strong feelings about this. Maybe we should talk about tea in debate time.”  
“What, ‘Drew _ran out of tea_ so we’re going to make him talk about it to remind him that he’s already had to do a week of midterms without any proper tea bags, and now, when the only thing that could plausibly stop my throat feeling like I’m swallowing glass is a nice cup of Earl Grey, there is absolutely no chance that there’s even going to be any in the near vicinity of me for weeks.”  
“At risk of receiving a glare, can you not just... buy more?”  
He gets the glare.  
“Earl Grey tea, Harrison, is not something you simply buy over here.”  
“And other tea is..?”  
“Not Earl Grey.”

“Right. Well. Um. Listeners, if you can commiserate with Drew, send us in a text. If you don’t have strong opinions about tea, text us something else. We’ve got time for a lot more advice.”

The text tone goes, and Harrison reaches for it first. He looks at it consideringly for a moment.  
“Well, what does it say?”  
“Nothing important.” Harrison replies.  
“Oh, are we screening texts now? Is it not on brand? Not the start of a romcom? Wait, are you replying to them?? I thought the whole point of us being an advice show not a music show was that we had to, you know, answer our loud?”  
“Not this one.” Harrison says, and Drew sighs audibly, but acquiesces and changes the subject.

Harrison fills some time with a pop culture rant, and Drew takes the opportunity to grab a tissue and blow his nose as quietly as he can.  
His response isn’t his strongest, but Harrison takes it and runs with it. He suspects Harrison is doing this on purpose, letting him rest his voice. He’s grateful, even if it isn’t necessary. The rant finishes in its usual brutal skewering, and Drew laughs. The laugh turns into a cough, and he keeps coughing, scrambling to mute his microphone. He hears Harrison saying something, but doesn’t bother paying attention, trying desperately to smother the tickle in his throat.

He isn’t aware of the door opening, but then someone who isn’t Harrison is in front of him, placing a travel mug on the desk, and leaving again before he can work out who it is.

“I am so sorry about that,” he says when he can talk again.  
“I’m glad you stopped, I thought we were actually going to have to play some music for a second there.”  
“Play music? On this _music_ show? I’d have to be actively dying for that, surely.”

“I thought you were dying from lack of acceptable tea.”  
“I mean...”  
“Well, you better drink up then. I don’t think an on-air death would be good for our Brand.”  
“We don’t _have_ a Brand. And — Wait. Wait. Are you implying that this is Earl Grey.”  
“Drink it and find out.”  
“Are you serious? This better not be a joke - if this isn’t actually tea and you make me think it is I’m going to - I don’t know, but I’m going to be very sad and then make you all feel bad because you did this to me — Wait, is it poisoned? Have you finally got sick of me and decided this is the time to get rid of me?”

“Drew. Trust me.” Harrison says, voice soft.

Their eyes meet for a moment, until Drew ducks his head and reaches for the travel mug on the desk.  
“Listeners,” he says, “if this is my last episode, please know who the main suspect is.”  
He takes a sip, and his eyes close as he lets out a groan of happiness.

“Why Drew, that was almost indecent. Listeners, I apologise for Drew’s reaction.” The smirk in Harrison’s voice is audible.

“I don’t, this is a reasonable reaction. I’ll need you to keep talking for at least two minutes now, so I can savour this how it deserves. Or you could play that new single by—“

“That’s okay! I can talk!” Harrison interrupts. “Listeners, I wish you could see Drew’s face right now. This is honestly the happiest I think I’ve ever seen him look.”  
He carries on in that fashion, poking fun at Drew’s moodiness.  
“I realise that normally I’d be complaining about this kind of conversation,” Drew says a few minutes later. “But I frankly could not care less right now. Tea is indeed magical. How did you get this here, anyway?” He asks Harrison.

“Wellll. The listeners thought you sounded sad. So they organised it.”  
“The listeners” he says flatly.  
“Yes.” Says Harrison, decisively.  
“You had nothing to do with it?”  
Harrison shrugs. “You did look pretty miserable.”  
“I always look miserable, apparently. But thanks, Harrison. And thank you benevolent mystery tea bringer, I guess.”  
Drew pretends not to notice the tiny smile playing across Harrison’s lips, and they move on.

There isn’t much longer to go, but Drew starts sniffling as Harrison finishes off the news, and the moment they stop broadcasting, he goes stock still.  
“Drew?” Harrison asks, concern lacing his tone.  
He holds up a finger, and another few moments pass before his breath hitches and a sneeze rips out of him.  
“Bless you”  
Drew shakes his head, then sneezes again.  
“Ugh. Sorry.”

“Drew, honey. Go home. Get some rest.”

“I’m fine” he says, but he’s sniffling again as he says it.

“No you’re not. Come on, I’ll walk you back to your dorm.”  
“You live in the opposite direction to me.”  
“I know. It’s not an issue.”  
“Is this because the tea was actually poisoned, but you’ve lulled me into a false sense of security by hiding it in my favourite tea, and now you’re going to hide my body somewhere instead of letting me get back to the dorm?”  
“Where is the trust, Drew? And also there have been far, far too many witnesses for me to do that, come on. Be realistic.”  
“Alright, that’s reasonable. But you don’t need to walk me home, I’m not actually dying.”  
“I know. But I want to.”  
“Why? What are you going to do? Tuck me in, kiss my forehead and turn out the light?”  
“If you want me to kiss you Drew, you only have to ask”  
“ - - what?”  
“Ohmigosh are you _blushing_? You’re definitely ill”  
“I’m not-!”  
“Oh wait do you just have a fever? Is this the flu, not just a cold, are you going to infect the whole station so student radio will just be the sound of coughing for another two weeks?” He presses his hand to Drew’s forehead.  
“Hmm no, probably just a cold. Well, good. Come on, get your coat on and let’s go”  
“I’m not a child, you don’t have to tell me to put my coat on.”  
“Well it seems like someone needs to look after you, because you obviously haven’t been doing it.”  
“It’s midterms, you can’t expect things like that right now.”  
Harrison purses his lips and hums.  
“Fine, lets go, if only because I don’t have the energy to argue with you.”

Harrison smiles, satisfied, and Drew loses his breath for reasons that have nothing to do with his head cold.

 

The walk back to his dorm is quiet, but it’s a comfortable silence. Drew has to stop himself from reaching for Harrison’s hand, because just because he’s ill and Harrison’s being this bloody nice doesn’t mean he should misinterpret it, and also he’s ill and passing the germs on any more would just be rude, and it’s not important how nice it would feel, he’s just tired and poorly and not thinking straight.

“Thanks, Harrison,” he starts, when they’re almost by his dorm, and when Harrison looks up at him questionningly continues, “for the show, and for getting me tea, and for walking me home.”  
“You’re welcome, Drew.” Harrison says, and steps in to wrap him in a hug.  
He’s not quite expecting the way Drew melts into him, but tightens his grip and doesn’t say anything.  
They stay like that, peaceful, for a little while, until Drew pulls away suddenly, only to muffle a couple of sneezes into his elbow.  
“Bless you! Now go rest up, you’re not allowed to lose your voice by the next show.”  
Drew raises an eyebrow. “I’ll do my best.” He says, drily.  
“Good. Text me if you need anything.” And whilst Drew is still working out how to respond to that, he leans up, kisses his cheek, and starts to walk back the way he came.  
“Don’t die!” He calls over his shoulder, and Drew’s brain finally comes back online.  
“Does that mean you did poison the tea?” He shouts after him, but all Harrison does is turn, grin at him, and go back to walking.  
Drew huffs, caught between amusement and exasperation at himself. But he’s smiling as he heads back inside, and he finds he doesn’t feel nearly as bad as he had. Maybe he's only gotten one cup of tea, but it seems like Harrison has the ability to make up for that.


End file.
